By Fikile
Mapala
THE Zimbabwe government is pressing ahead with preparations for the
general elections pencilled for March 29, by announcing that the voters’
roll will be opened Friday for inspection by registered and prospective
voters.

In a notice on Wednesday,
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede said the inspection process will run
for seven days from February 1 to February 7.

Mudede said the
inspection of the voters’ roll would be done at ward level to
allow for easier access by voters.

A total of 5 000
centres have been established in different wards for the inspection
of the voters’ roll according to the registrar general’s
office.

Mudede said: “The
increase in the inspection centres is meant to accommodate the limited
period in which the voters’ roll will be inspected. I want people
to go and inspect the roll during the inspection period and not wait
for an extension as the time left before the elections is short.”

The registrar general
urged those with queries on the voters’ roll to direct them to
his office before the close of inspection next Thursday, adding that
those who have just turned 18 years could register for the forthcoming
elections during the inspection process.

He said: “Inspection
centres will open from 0700 hours to 1800 hours for urban constituencies
and from 0700 hours to 1700 hours for rural constituencies. There might
be some adjustments in inspection centres if deemed necessary to allow
those who have not registered as voters to do so.”

The opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) has in the past demanded that Mudede --
a close ally of President Robert Mugabe – be barred from running
elections accusing him of rigging elections on behalf of the ruling
party.

Pesident Mugabe
has paid a deaf ear to the opposition demands, allowing Mudede to remain
in charge of the voters’ role which the MDC says is in shambles.

The MDC has called
for the establishment of an independent electoral commission to compile
a fresh voters’ roll before elections can be held.

Mugabe has also
ignored the opposition calls for an independent electoral commission
or a new voters’ roll, preferring Mudede to manage the roll on
behalf of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Addressing a Press
conference in Harare, Mudede said the training and deployment of inspection
and registration officers would be done over two days.

Mudede said: “The
registrar general’s office will today (Wednesday) start the training
of officers for deployment in preparation for the commencement of the
inspection of the voters’ roll on Friday.”

President Mugabe,
who turns 84 in February, has set March 29 as the date for the general
elections and February 8 as the day the nomination court will sit to
register candidates for the general elections.

The opposition MDC
has in the past threatened to boycott the elections demanding that the
polls be moved to June to allow for the adoption of a transitional constitution
and other electoral reforms.

The national councils
of the rival opposition MDC formations -- who are on the verge of announcing
a unity deal ahead of the polls -- are set to meet on Saturday to decide
on whether the opposition should participate or boycott the general
elections.